Network Function Virtualization is a term or a name of a proposed architecture of telecom services as published by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in a series of documents available from the ETSI website. NFV uses generic hardware platform and software adapted for the generic hardware platform. Thus, NFV creates a network much more flexible and dynamic than a legacy communication network. In NFV-based networks, a Virtual Network Function (VNF) decouples the software implementation of the network function from the infrastructure resources it runs on by virtualization. A network service is based on one or more VNFs and/or Physical Network Functions (PNFs), their interconnections, and chaining definitions. The VNFs can be executed on almost any generic hardware processing facility. Therefore, VNFs may be installed, removed, and moved between hardware facilities, much more easily, less costly and thus, more frequently.
The NFV-based network is managed by a software program including an NFV orchestration (NFV-O) component. Typically, the NFV-O is responsible for installing, activating, and deactivating VNFs and VNF instances, as well as other functions of the NFV-based network. If two NFV-based networks should be connected, their respective NFV-Os should coordinate their functionality and activities. An NFV-O therefore manages in a typical processing unit a plurality of VNFs of various services provided by different VNF vendors. The NFV-O should ensure that no VNF may in any manner adversely affect the operation or security of any other VNF. There is thus a need for addressing these and/or other issues associated with the prior art.